Zimbabwe transitions children from institutional to family-based care
via NewsDay Zimbabwe5 min read
Zimbabwe is implementing reforms to shift children without parental support from institutional care to family-based care. Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Mercy Dinha stated that out of approximately 7.1 million children in Zimbabwe, including 562,872 orphans, about 4,500 are in residential care and 660 in formal foster care. Over 95% of children without parental care are supported within extended families, highlighting the strength of traditional kinship systems. The country's alternative care system is based on Section 81 of the Constitution, which guarantees a child's right to family or parental care, and the Children鈥檚 Act, which recognizes the family as the primary environment for a child's wellbeing. Residential childcare institutions are intended for temporary care, with efforts focused on family reunification. The National Policy for the Care and Protection of Children Without Parental Care prioritizes family and community-based care. A joint initiative with SOS Children鈥檚 Villages is successfully reintegrating children into kinship and foster care. New admissions to institutions have been significantly reduced, and programs offering parenting support, counseling, foster care grants, and education assistance aim to prevent unnecessary family separations. Dinha emphasized that family-based care is more cost-effective than institutional care, leads to better developmental outcomes for children, and reduces long-term reliance on state support.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by NewsDay Zimbabwe.
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